Your Right to Know

A close friend and government aide to Richard Cordray made a $500 donation to Democrat Ed
FitzGerald’s gubernatorial campaign, possibly signaling that Cordray won’t seek the party’s
nomination to challenge Gov. John Kasich.

Cordray is director of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, but there has been wide
speculation that he could return to Ohio and run for governor if the U.S. Senate does not confirm
him.

TheDispatch has learned that Kent Markus, Cordray’s friend and director of enforcement for
the federal consumer bureau, made an online donation of $500 to FitzGerald on March 17.

Some political observers view the donation as a sign that Cordray won’t run.

“I can’t speak for Kent Markus ... but if I were thinking of running for office, and my very
good people around me knew or even supposed that I was considering that race, it would be troubling
to me if one of them wrote a check” to another candidate in the race, said Democratic Franklin
County Commissioner John O’Grady, who helped Cordray win election as county treasurer in 2002. O’G
rady said he is supporting FitzGerald’s candidacy, even if Cordray were to challenge him.

Markus did not return a phone message and email seeking comment. His donation was confirmed by a
source with direct knowledge of the transaction.

Cordray, a former Ohio attorney general who lives in Grove City, previously had expressed
interest in running for governor, but hasn’t speculated about the 2014 race since President Barack
Obama appointed him to his current post in January 2012. FitzGerald hasn’t formally announced his
candidacy, but he did create a campaign fund and has been traveling the state speaking at numerous
Democratic functions.

Greg Haas, Franklin County’s Democratic chairman and former Cordray campaign consultant, said he
still believes Cordray might run for governor and cautioned against reading too much into the
contributions to FitzGerald from Markus.

“I am certain that Rich is not talking to anyone about his interest,” Haas said. “There are a
number of us who like both candidates. I’ve had Ed FitzGerald down here a couple of times and I
will promote his candidacy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think Rich will run.”

Haas drew a parallel to the hotly contested 1982 Democratic primary for governor, won by Richard
F. Celeste over then-Attorney General Bill Brown: “There were many people who wrote checks to Bill
Brown who ultimately supported Dick Celeste in the primary. There are a lot of us supporting Ed
FitzGerald, but that doesn’t mean if Rich comes back and runs we won’t support him.”

In endorsing FitzGerald, O’Grady said, “It’s got nothing to do with Rich. I just think that Ed
is the guy.”

“Ed FitzGerald is our strongest candidate, our best option,” O’Grady said. “I think that Ed is
somebody who will not only make a tremendous candidate, but a tremendous governor.”